HOUSTON – James Harden scored 21 points and Greg Smith added 20 to help the Houston Rockets to a 101-89 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Harden had 10 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal in the third quarter as Houston built its lead.
The Rockets used a 9-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Harden to open the period and go on top 52-47.
They never trailed after that and cruised to the victory.
Paul Pierce led Boston with 18 points after scoring a season-high 34 in the Celtics’ double-overtime win at Dallas on Wednesday.
Harden, who had scored 30 or more in his last two games, got off to a slow start before heating up in the third quarter.
Walton’s take
Bill Walton, as a connoisseur of all things involving the Celtics, naturally watches the current edition as much as possible. And after the team’s slow start, the Hall of Famer has drawn two conclusions:
One, there shouldn’t be a lot of worrying about either the Celtics or Lakers, who have started at an even worse pace than their cross-country rival.
Two, the Celtics will go as far as Rajon Rondo can take them. Not exactly news, perhaps, but Walton has also attached a qualifier to his opinion.
“Rondo can be the best point guard in the league,” Walton said.![]()
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